1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a support device used when attaching an ostomy appliance, and in particular a device to assist in attaching the appliance's adhesive body side member to the skin of the wearer's abdomen. The present invention further relates to a method of applying the body side member to the wearer's abdomen.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
As part of treatment for some types of cancer, including colon cancer or rectum cancer, as well as other diseases, it is often medically necessary for a patient to undergo an enterostomy. This involves making an opening in the intestine through the abdominal wall. An ostomy appliance is then connected to the opening to receive fecal material from the intestine.
Ostomy appliances are well known in the art, and generally includes a body side member that is adhesively attached to the wearer's abdomen, and a receiving member or bag attached to the body side member for receiving waste products of the body. The body side member is usually adhered to the wearer's skin by means of an adhesive wafer having an inlet opening for accomodating a stoma.
The service time of the body side member is dependant upon factors including the amount and aggressiveness of the exudates, and the adhesive seal between the member and the wearer's abdomen. Frequent changing of the body side member is undesirable due to the irritation of the skin. Further, the quality of life may be improved and the nuisance of wearing an ostomy appliance may be reduced if the intervals between exchanging of the body side member can be increased.
When adhesively applying the body side member to the skin of the wearer's abdomen, it is known to position the adhesive wafer portion of the body side member over the appropriate abdomen area and manually apply the member to the skin. It is further known that the member must be manually held in place until the adhesive is sufficiently tacky to secure the body side member in place and sufficiently seal the member to the skin of the wearer's abdomen. Again, if not sufficiently sealed, the body member will need replacing more frequently.
The inventor has found that when applying the body side member to the wearer's skin as discussed above, it takes at least three (3) minutes for the member to sufficiently seal to the wearer's skin. As such, the wearer is required to manually apply steady pressure to the member until such sealing is obtained. Such consistent application of pressure by the wearer would be difficult, if not impossible for the wearer when the wearer for example, suffers from arthritis in the joints of the hands or arms, or has some other debilitating disease that generally prohibits or limits the use of arms or hands.
The inventor is unaware of a device that assists the wearer in sufficiently applying the body side member without substantial use of the wearer's arms or hands, and in particular, a device that will apply steady pressure to the body side member until proper sealing is obtained between the body side member and wearer's skin.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome these and other shortcomings of prior art.